“Indian Collecting Cochineal with a Deer Tail”
José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez. From Essay on the Nature, Cultivation, and Benefits of the Cochineal Insect [Memoria sobre la naturaleza, cultivo, y beneficio de la grana], 1777.

Mexican priest and scientist Alzate y Ramírez included this illustration in a work on the cultivation of cochineal insects, used to create a dye that was one of New Spain’s most important exports.
Figure 1. An Indian gathers cochineal with a deer tail. Figure 2. Said (deer tail). Figure 3. A gourd bowl holding the cochineal.
Metadata | Details |
---|---|
Item Type | Book Section |
Title | Indian Collecting Cochineal with a Deer Tail |
Publication Title | Memoria sobre la naturaleza, cultivo, y beneficio de la grana [Essay on the Nature, Cultivation, and Benefits of the Cochineal Insect] |
Short Title | Indian Collecting Cochineal, 1777 |
Book Title | Essay on the Nature, Cultivation, and Benefits of the Cochineal Insect [Memoria sobre la naturaleza, cultivo, y beneficio de la grana] |
Creator | José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez |
Publication Date | 1777 |
Pages | Plate 7 |
Language | Spanish |
Call Number | VAULT Ayer MS 1031 |
Location | Special Collections 4th floor |